


she's so unusual

by bewareoftrips



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alice's Doc Martens, Cyndi Lauper - Freeform, F/F, F/M, Halice - Freeform, Riverparents, hanelope, high school party, palice, parentdale, sad crying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 21:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30145509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewareoftrips/pseuds/bewareoftrips
Summary: Penelope runs and Alice chases after her
Relationships: Alice Cooper/Hal Cooper, Penelope Blossom/Alice Cooper, Penelope Blossom/Hal Cooper
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	she's so unusual

**Author's Note:**

  * For [penelopeblossom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/penelopeblossom/gifts).
  * Inspired by [its a small town son (and we all support the team)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25174294) by [bewareoftrips](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewareoftrips/pseuds/bewareoftrips). 



> I probably should have edited this more but I've honestly been working on it so long I just need it Done and Posted. Enjoy.

The grass beside the Lodge’s driveway is patchy and uneven. Penelope hears a voice in her head - either her mother’s or her father’s and at the end of the day was there really any difference? - mutter ‘new money’ but she knows that isn’t really true. Lodge’s are old money but any money newer than theirs is considered new to them. Blossom money is aged to perfection in barrels of syrup while Lodge money is obtained in ways her family is certain is less than credible. 

She’s running away. Not from the orphanage she dreamed of getting away from as a child or the life at Thornhill she dreams of escaping now, but rather she is running away from a particularly bad party she didn’t want to attend in the first place. And she’s running away from a mad Southside girl at the same time. What fun.

It hadn’t been all bad. She’d driven to the Coopers and let Hal drive her little red Ford to the Lodge’s on the other side of town. She, along with a few other River Vixens, had been herded by Hermione to watch Fred Andrews and their host chug beer in red plastic cups before doing somersaults into the pool. Even afterwards, when Hal was nowhere to be found, a nice senior on the wrestling team made Penelope several gin and tonics at the solid oak bar in the Lodge’s study. (Didn’t they know maple was the ideal wood for furniture? Oak never lasted the strains of time.) And when he had tried to put the moves on her later on she politely declined, claiming her boyfriend was around and would be back at any moment.

Little white lies, she tells herself. Hal isn’t her boyfriend but he is a boy and a friend and little white lies usually hurt less than telling someone the truth. 

Usually.

All that had been no more than twenty minutes ago but it felt like hours now. Just as she was walking away in her wobbly heels she’d seen them. Hal Cooper descending the stairs with none other than Alice Smith tugging him along. Hal’s face was pink and laughing and Alice’s hair was wilder than normal as she turned around to smile at him and and and...

Well that smile had said more than she ever wanted to know.

Tthat was all she remembered until she walked outside. All she wanted to remember at least. She took her heels off because the driveway was steep and she was parked at the bottom and that was why she was currently walking in the grass next to the driveway. Because soiling her stockings was still better than risking a broken neck in heels.

“Penelope!” a voice shouts not far behind and she speeds up her little run. Of course she wasn’t entirely alone and she thinks maybe at the next party she goes to she’ll lay off the gin. “Penelope! I know you can hear me!”

Alice Smith, she remembers suddenly, is wearing a pair of Keds tonight and not her normal Doc Martens. The blonde catches up to her in seconds. 

Despite the steep incline, Alice isn’t panting. “Why didn’t you stop?” Penelope glares with all the ferocity she can manage but she’s still on the verge of tears. Alice looks surprisingly abashed. “I - you left this inside.”

Alice holds out a red kitten heel. “Where did you -” But when Penelope looks down into her own hands she sees she is in fact only holding a shoe in her right hand. Her left hand is clutching her small purse. “That’s mine.”

“No shit.” But there isn’t any malice in Alice’s voice. Just a strange look on her face that Penelope wants to call shame but that’s ridiculous because shame is an emotion she is certain Alice has never felt in her life. “Look, I’m sorry. If I knew -”

“If you knew what?” Penelope snaps. Not only because it’s a ridiculous thing to say but because she’s drunk and honestly doesn’t know what Alice knows or doesn’t know. She coughs slightly to clear her throat.

Alice’s eyes look to the sky above them but she doesn’t tilt her head up. “If I knew Hal was your boyfriend or whatever. I wouldn’t have even talked to him, trust me.”

“Is that what he told you?” Penelope tucks her purse in her armpit, not caring how undignified it is, and snatches the shoe back from Alice. 

“No, he didn’t say anything about you.” Alice meets her eyes and her brow furrows. “That’s why I said I didn’t know.” 

“Oh.” She pauses and tries to think of a way to express herself without sounding crazy. “Well he’s not anything to me anymore so do what you will with him.” She huffs. “Or whatever you haven’t already done with him.”

Penelope spins on her heel and starts walking back down the driveway. At the same moment Alice lets out a whiney, “I haven't done anything to any-” Penelope’s foot hits a rock and she stumbles. 

“Fuck!” She falls on the knee of her other leg and covers her mouth with a hand to stop another obscenity from coming out. Her shoes and purse drop to the grass with a dull thud. 

“Are you okay?” Alice is down in the grass next to her in an instant. “You can’t just go walking around in the dark barefoot like that.” Alice pulls off her own sneakers - not unlaces them but just pulls them off - and drops them in front of Penelope.

“I don’t want your filthy shoes.”

Alice takes her arm forcefully until she’s sitting on the ground next to her, probably getting grass stains on her skirt as well as her stockings. “Well too bad because you can’t go anywhere without shoes on.” 

“Then I’ll stay here forever.” Penelope pulls her legs up to her chest and stares back at the big house with the party still raging inside and all the guests none the wiser to the girl accosting her on the front lawn. 

“You can’t stay anywhere forever.” 

“Watch me.” Penelope hugs her legs tighter to her chest. “Actually, no. Don’t watch me. Please leave.”

“You are drunk,” Alice says slowly and she picks up a sneaker and finally unlaces it. “And you need me to take you home.”

“I am not drunk,” Penelope tries to scoff but a hiccup comes out at the end. “And how do you plan on getting me home? Do you even have a car?” 

Another eyeroll. “No, but you do.” Alice drops the now unlaced sneakers at her feet again. “Get them on and I’ll drive you home.”

Penelope feels tears swelling in her eyes. “You can’t go walking around without anything on your feet though.”

“My socks are thick, I’ll be fine.” And sure enough the socks Alice has on look almost large enough to belong to a man.

“You hate me.” She pulls the sneakers on so she doesn’t need to look at Alice. “You’ve always hated me.”

“I don’t hate you, Penelope.” Alice collects the heels and purse from the grass. “I’m sorry about what happened tonight. If I knew you and Hal were a thing -”

“I told you, we’re not anything.”

Alice groans. “Stop that. Don’t let something I did break you two up.”

Penelope ties the sneakers with careful hands, still telling herself she’s not drunk. _Over, under, pull it tight. Make a bow, pull it through to do it right!_ She sucks her cheeks in and holds out a hand. Alice pulls her up. 

“You said you didn’t do anything.” She dusts her skirt knowing the grass has probably ruined it forever. 

Alice starts walking down the driveway in nothing but her socked feet. “I didn’t,” she says over her shoulder.

Another little rush of anger pluses through her. The sneakers are at least a size too big and worn thin at the sole but she can’t deny that they’re ten times more comfortable than walking barefoot. 

“No need to lie.” She wants her voice to sound like venom but she just sounds like a kid who’s dropped their ice cream cone. 

“I’m not -”

“You’re wearing his shirt, Alice.” She’s close enough to Alice that she can pluck the light blue material. “Unless you also shop at the young men's department at Lacys?”

Alice slows down and her face takes on a green tint. “I spilled something on my shirt.”

Penelope can’t remember what Hal was wearing as he came down those stairs, flushed and happy and holding hands with this spitfire girl, but she is sure it wasn’t something of Alice’s. Regardless, she speeds up and walks in front of her. 

“I don’t care. Hal isn’t my boyfriend and I don’t need you feeling sorry for whatever debauchery happened tonight.”

“Debauchery?” Alice snorts. “What are we? Pirates?”

They approach Penelope’s car parked at the end of the driveway just as the road starts. Penelope stands in front of the driver side door and waves a finger at Alice. 

“See here, Alice Smith. Hal is not my anything. He’s not even my friend after tonight,I don’t think. So do what you will with him. Just leave me out of it and leave me alone.” She spins on the low top sneaker and almost falls sideways, but grabs the handle in time. Locked. “Hey where are my -”

“I’ve got them.” Alice takes her arm forcefully and walks her around to the other side of the car. “No way am I letting you drive.”

“No way am I letting you drive my car!” Penelope tries to shrug Alice off but her grip is strong. Alice fumbles through the purse and pulls out the keys. “Do you even have a license?”

“I know how to drive.” Alice unlocks the door and helps her in, hand on top of her head like a police officer making an arrest. 

“I didn’t ask if you knew how to drive,” Penelope shouts as Alice slams the door closed and walks around to the drivers side. “I asked if you have -”

“My birthday is next month.” Alice gets in and buckles her seatbelt. “It’s fine. My dad taught me how to drive when I was like seven.”

“Excuse me?” But Alice doesn’t answer. Just holds her hand near the ignition and stares out the windshield. After a few seconds she looks at Penelope.

“If Hal isn’t your boyfriend,” she asks slowly, “why did you throw your shoes at him?”

All at once the blood rushes to her face and her heart starts pounding. “I was aiming at you,” comes out before she can stop herself.

Alice snorts. Loud and nasally and as unladylike as they come. Her snort turns into a laugh and her laugh turns into laughter and before Penelope knows what’s happening she’s laughing too. Laughing because she threw her shoes at a girl because she was drunk and jealous. Threw her shoes and missed entirely and hit her best friend straight in the face and after so many years she finally realizes why she almost always gets picked last for softball. Realizes why she isn’t popular even with the benefit of being a cheerleader. Realizes why she has no real friends except for Hal and maybe that was all just smoke and mirrors too if he would just as soon ditch her at a party to go upstairs with Alice Smith and get to whatever base -

“Why are you crying?” 

Penelole’s eyes pop open and it's only then she notices the tears spilling down her cheeks, no doubt ruining the mascara she’d painstakingly applied hours before. Alice’s hand is clutching her forearm, stopping at least one of her hands from wiping them away. 

"I'm not." The lie feels natural on her tongue even though Alice is staring dead at her and her splotchy face. 

Alice rolls her eyes. “Are your parents cool?”

“Cool?” Penelope’s mind goes to carefree popular Hermione. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Like are they going to flip their shit if you come home barefoot and smelling like cheap gin?”

Her heart speeds up. “That was top shelf gin.”

“Right.” Alice put the keys in the ignition. “Lets sober you up at least. A cheeseburger will do you good.”

“I don’t eat -”

“Then whatever you want.” Alice finally turns the keys. “You just need to eat something. It’ll help.”

Music starts through the speakers as the car takes off down the street.

 _“We have no past, we won’t reach back_ _  
_ _Keep with me forward all through the night_ _  
_ _And once we start the meter clicks_ _  
_ _And it goes running all through the night”_

Alice does that unladylike snort again and grabs the empty cassette case from the middle console. “Do you only have Cyndi Lauper music?”

“I only keep the ones I never get tired of in the car.” There’s actually a Kate Bush tape in the glove box but she doesn’t offer it up. “It’s my favorite.”

Alice taps the title of the album and laughs again, softer this time. “Fitting, Penelope. Very fitting.”

Her cheeks burn and she reaches for the dial. “I’ll put on the radio.”

“No!” And Alice smacks her hand lightly. “It’s fine. It’s - it’s fitting.”

Time drifts away and People can only tell how many minutes have passed because of what song is playing. Pops is more or less empty although she’s sure it’ll be packed again in an hour or so when the party breaks up for good. 

Alice doesn’t undo her seatbelt yet. Just turns the ignition one click so the music still plays.

“I am sorry,” she says slowly. “You don’t need to believe that but I swear this wasn’t some big elaborate scheme to fuck with you. I swear.”

“Right.” There are still tears streaming down Penelope’s face and she knows she doesn’t have any tissues in the car. “Sure. You just want me to believe you actually like Hal Cooper?”

“Maybe?” Alice’s voice is defensive. “You don’t know anything about me, Penelope.”

“And you don’t know anything about me, Alice Smith!”

“Right.” Alice scoffs. “I’m just some heinous bitch and you think I went off with Hal tonight just to - oh my God, stop, you don’t need to cry!”

Penelope squeaks, “I’m not!” through her tears. Alice lets out a frustrated sigh.

It happens quick. Alice leans over and wraps her arms around her, pulls her into a hug. It’s strange at first. Strange because Penelope knows Alice doesn’t mean for this scene to be as awkward as it is but it is undeniably strange. Alice is not a girl who gives out many free hugs (although she hears Hermione snarking about the kinds of things Alice does give away for free and quite liberally at that) and Penelope is not a girl who gets many free hugs. But the sensation passes. The moment of awkward touching passes and Penelope finds herself leaning in and hugging back and crying on Alice’s shoulder and muttering some things under her breath about life being unfair and Hal being an idiot and school being awful and why did she go tonight she doesn’t even like parties!

And all the while Alice keeps her arms around her. Penelope can tell she gets over the weirdness too because soon enough she’s patting her back and nodding along and it occurs to her that Alice doesn’t really have many friends either. Maybe that ragtag pair of Fred Andrews and FP Jones but not many beyond that and certainly not any girls.

They reach the moment when she stops crying and Alice still holds on. It’s nice actually, nice in a way she’d never associate with anything related to Alice Smith before. 

“Are you okay?” Alice adjusts and holds Penelope by the shoulders just far enough away that she can look her in the eye. Penelope knows her face is puffy and her eyes red and her hair is probably a mess but she nods. “I don’t believe you.”

“I’m fine.” Her voice is low. “Fine.”

Alice presses her lips together in the clearest sign of ‘I don’t believe you’ she can muster. She leans back in and Penelope’s heart races and before she can stop herself she moves her face in front of Alice’s.

Their lips meet. It’s only for a second, two at most, and then she feels Alice pull back. Feels her hands loosen from her shoulders. 

“Oh, Penelope.” Alice looks sad. “I -”

“Sorry.” And Penelope leans back in her seat and wipes her eyes with the palms of her hands. “You just - you got in my way. I didn’t mean to.”

Alice’s hand touches her shoulder again and Penelope tenses. “You’re drunk. I just don’t think you know what you’re doing right now.”

Her purse is resting between them where Alice dropped it. Penelope wipes her eyes one more time and snatches it up. 

“Like you said, Alice.” She opens the door and kicks her legs out still all too aware of Alice’s sneakers on her feet. “We don’t know anything about each other.”

She slams the car door behind her and walks towards Pops with her head held high, already making a beeline for the ladies room. There’s a quiet moment before she hears the door to her car open and close again as Alice gets out. 

She almost turns around and looks and wonders what could be different in this moment and how she can go back two minutes and save herself from embarrassment, but she doesn’t. Just pushes open the heavy doors and lets the fluorescent light bathe her as she walks to the door marked GALS. She’ll come back out in a few minutes and order something light to eat and maybe a comfort milkshake and pretend it never happened.

Because that’s just what she does.

The jukebox starts up from outside the door as she’s getting the last of the mascara off her cheeks. 

_“All through the night_ _  
_ _I’ll be awake and I’ll be with you”_

No. Alice Smith certainly doesn't know her at all. 


End file.
